The Announcement
by nuke-grrl
Summary: AU - Kaoru had just received word that the person she loved was getting married to someone else. To what lengths would Kaoru go to win the love of her life back? Chapter 3
1. The Letter

Author's Notes: This story popped in my head while I was at work. It wouldn't go away until I did something about it. So here it is. Usual disclaimers apply. Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki, JUMP Comics, Sony TV, SPE-VisualWorks and ADV Films. This story was written purely for entertainment not for profit, so please don't sue me.  
  
Chapter One - The Letter  
  
June 7  
  
Kamiya Kaoru was sifting through her mail when she came upon a small envelope. Intrigued, she pressed it close to her nose and breathed a familiar scent. She turned the envelope over and noted the smooth flow of the handwriting on the front. Her eyes widened when she noticed the Japanese postmark stamp.  
  
It was him, her heart whispered. All the signs point to him. That was his handwriting, his address on the letter and that scent!  
  
She grinned as she pictured him in her mind with one of his smiles and without another thought, tore off the envelope flap. Pulling out the contents inside, she noticed several cards falling towards the floor.  
  
Eh? What's this? she wondered as she bent to pick up one of the cards.  
  
It read:  
  
On June 21, we would like to request the honor of your presence to witness the marriage of ....  
  
She didn't read any further than that. She didn't need to. There was only one thought running in her head: HE WAS GETTING MARRIED TO SOMEONE ELSE!  
  
Shocked, Kaoru did not notice that she had sank to the floor. Her mind was still in denial about the letter she had just gotten. "He can't get married," she mumbled to herself.  
  
"He's mine." She said more forcefully. "He can't get married to someone else. He's MY soul mate." With each thought, she was feeling a little worse and her hopes had started to dim.  
  
"Tomorrow," Kaoru said to herself. "I'll think about it tomorrow." 


	2. Course of Action

Author's Notes: This story popped in my head while I was at work. It wouldn't go away until I did something about it. So here it is. Usual disclaimers apply. Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki, JUMP Comics, Sony TV, SPE-VisualWorks. This story was written purely for entertainment not for profit, so please don't sue me.  
  
Chapter 2: Course of Action  
  
June 8  
  
Kaoru had called on her friend to meet her at their favorite coffee shop. She had hastily pulled on her jeans and practically ran every light on her way to the shop. They have been in the coffee house for two hours and Kaoru was nowhere near from being consoled. At the moment, her friend had just mentioned that maybe she wasn't meant to be with him. This elicited a high-pitched whine from the other side of the table.  
  
"But Misao!" Kaoru whimpered. "He's MY soulmate. How could he marry someone else?" She pushed her milkshake away and thumped her head on the table. "How could he do this to me?" She banged her head a few more times on the table to emphasize each word. At every bumped, the table inched a little bit further away from the young woman. Her ponytail bounced at each impact and her friend grimaced from across the table.  
  
"Ano, Kaoru-chan," Makimachi Misao reached out a hand to push the young woman away from the table. "Don't do that. People are starting to stare at us." She winced as a few more bumps, not to mention a few choice curse words came from her friend. "Just stop it, will you? Or do you want us to get kicked out of our favorite hangout."  
  
She momentarily ceased her actions and looked up at her friend, her brow creased. "Why should I care? Why should I even bother with other people when my TRUE LOVE is marrying someone else?" Her voice rose a little higher as agitation was apparent in her voice. "Why Misao? I thought he loved me. Why would he do this to me?"  
  
Misao shook her head and offered a shrug. "Besides," Kaoru continued. "He proposed to me ."  
  
Her friend raised an eyebrow and smirked at her friend. "Kaoru, that was twelve years ago when you were both drunk in a college frat party." Misao was particularly familiar with the "proposal" incident and could clearly remember the circumstances that revolved around that particular event. "Somehow, I don't think that proposal should count."  
  
"I wasn't drunk," Kaoru said fiercely. "I was slightly inebriated. In fact, I think that occasion should count since I was his first girlfriend and all." Kaoru pouted as she remembered  
  
Again, Misao sighed at her friend's creative reasoning. "Kaoru, must I remind you that sitting next to you while watching a movie with a whole bunch of people does not really constitute a relationship."  
  
"Ah, but he kissed me," Kaoru countered. She grinned at the memory of their kiss. In her recollection, it was a soft brushing of his lips on her .  
  
"On the cheek," Misao commented dryly. "And even that was accidental." Her friend could see that Kaoru was beginning to break down once again but she didn't relent. Misao had been in the middle of one of her wonderful dreams about her former college professor when Kaoru's telephone call came through. She was annoyed to say the least but that was quickly replaced by worry when she heard the obvious urgency in her friend's voice. Now, here she was sitting in a coffee house.  
  
Kaoru didn't respond to that but 'hmph' as she grabbed her milkshake closer as she took a sip. She was contemplating on calling him up but she didn't really know what she wanted to tell him.  
  
//Don't marry that woman, you want me!// Kaoru mused. //Yeah, that should go over smoothly.// She snorted at her own sarcasm when something Misao said caught her attention. ". seen you?" Misao asked as she took a sip of her own milkshake. She sucked on the straw to get the last bit of milkshake she could gather and set her glass down. //Ah, milkshakes!//  
  
"What did you just say?"  
  
Misao looked at her friend and frowned. "You weren't listening to me? That's awfully rude of you, Kaoru." She wagged her finger at her. "Especially since I got up from a nice happy dream to come and listen to your sorrows and you ignore me. That's just cold."  
  
"Misao, I'm sorry." Kaoru offered. "I'm just a little distraught right now. But could you repeat what you had just said."  
  
Not quite satisfied with her apology, but seeing that it was useless to argue at the moment Misao relented. "Fine, I asked how long has it been since he's seen you." Misao commented. "I bet you haven't seen him in ages and how can you be so sure that he's the same person he was twelve years ago. Does he even know that you've been obsessing about him ever since?"  
  
"That's it!" Kaoru yelled and slammed her palm on the table. The noise startled a few other customers in the coffee house as Kaoru bolted up from her chair in excitement. Startled, Misao looked up at her friend. "What?" She looked around her and noticed a few people staring back at their table. Kaoru's grin grew wider as she thought about the course of action left to her. "Of course, why didn't I think about it before?"  
  
"What?" Misao asked as she watched Kaoru's expression turn more mischievous by the second. "What are you planning, raccoon-girl?"  
  
Ignoring the raccoon-girl comment, she continued. "He hasn't seen me in a long time." Kaoru exclaimed as she grinned at her friend. "And he probably doesn't know how much he means to me."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Misao asked almost dreading the answer to her question.  
  
Kaoru stood up and smiled. "I'm going to pay him a visit, I've been invited to the wedding after all. There's no real harm in coming a little early."  
  
"Are you thinking of doing what I'm hoping you're not thinking of doing?" Misao visibly winced as she noticed her friend's grin grow wider.  
  
"Yes, Misao." Kaoru beamed. "I'm going to steal away the groom right from underneath the bride's nose! The whole reason why he's getting married is that he doesn't even know that I'm in love with him!"  
  
"Are you crazy?" Misao asked. "I mean, seriously, are you insane?" Misao was getting that sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched her friend's eyes reflect a glint of determination. "You are not going to break up their engagement!"  
  
Kaoru let out a coy laugh as she dropped money on the table to pay for their drinks. "Watch me!" Kaoru said as she walked out of the coffee shop and headed straight home to pack for her trip. 


	3. A Recon Mission

Author's Notes: Thanks to all who have reviewed the story so far. You want Kenshin to be the man Kaoru is in love with, eh? Hmm, well why don't you just read the story and see. By the way, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin although sometimes I wish I did. Even that pink, er, magenta (or is it really fuschia?) gi is looking good right about now. On with the story.  
  
Chapter 3: A Recon Mission!  
  
June 9  
  
Kaoru gazed out of her window and sighed, watching the lights flicker in and out of view from her airplane seat. It had been an ordeal to get everything together for her to be able to make this trip in such a short notice. She had left Misao in the coffee shop and from there her life seemed to have accelerated to a frenzied pace. Finding a purpose, seemed to have taken her out of her earlier depressed state. Kaoru had rushed around town to set her affairs in order and prepare for this impromptu trip. She had managed to contact her assistant instructors and notified them of her little vacation plans. Her employees were more than capable of handling the dojos in her absence but if they were surprised by her sudden change of plans, they did not pry. In the end, they wished her to take it easy for the next two weeks.  
  
Her friend Misao was a little harder to convince. She had taken it upon herself to try and talk Kaoru out of her plans but she did little to dissuade her friend. She begged, pleaded and even tried to bribe Kaoru but all her efforts were rebuffed. In the end, Misao had managed to extract a promise from Kaoru that she would not do anything unless she was sure that he was unhappy with "the other woman" but that was all.  
  
"It's a reconnaissance mission," Kaoru grinned at the memory of her words before she snapped her suitcase shut.  
  
"Spying. Invasion of privacy. Stalking. Isn't that what you mean?" Misao muttered under her breath as she sat on top of Kaoru's suitcase as her friend snapped it shut. "How much money do you have left so I can pay for your therapy bills when you realize he doesn't want you and you come back with a broken heart?"  
  
Kaoru stilled at Misao's comment and slowly turned. Misao felt the air in the room suddenly turn cold and swallowed nervously. Maybe, she had gone too far with that comment. She really was afraid for her friend and did not wish to see her hurt. It was a few minutes later when Kaoru spoke. "Misao-chan," Kaoru started. "We've been friends since we pushed that boy off the swing for making fun of our matching outfits. We became even closer when we consoled each other's broken hearts in high school. We never had any secrets between us and we always said what was in our minds." Misao nodded seriously at Kaoru's words. "We've made a lot of mistakes, you and I. Some we could have avoided and some, well, they were unavoidable. But we always supported each other, ne?"  
  
Misao didn't move from her seat but raised her head to meet Kaoru's deep blue eyes. "Tell me something then," Kaoru sighed as she whispered in a small voice. "Do you really think I'm crazy for doing this?"  
  
"Kaoru," Misao stood up and gave her a hug. "It's not that I think you're crazy. We're all a little mental in our own way. It's not that. Heck if we are talking crazy, then I should be living in an asylum for all my antics. But I think this one is different from all the others. I've never seen you like this and that's what scares me."  
  
Kaoru's lips lifted a little in a soft smile as she listened. "I guess what's really bothering me about this whole thing is that I don't think you've thought the whole thing through. What if the guy doesn't want to know how you feel about him? What if he's perfectly happy being oblivious about your feelings? Isn't it selfish to just drop in from out of the blue, confess your love and think that everyone is going to be okay with this?"  
  
Her friend didn't reply so Misao continued. "Think about it, you're not only potentially going to hurt yourself, but you're going to hurt this man, his fiancée, their families and friends. What good would it really do to tell him how you feel two weeks before he gets married?"  
  
The voice over the intercom awakened Kaoru from her reverie.  
  
**Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Narita International Airport. Please remain seated until our plane has made a complete stop and the captain has turned off the "fasten seatbelt" sign. Be careful when opening the overhead bins as the contents might have shifted during the flight. Make sure to check the front seat pockets and the space underneath your seat for all your belongings. For those of you coming to visit for business or pleasure, we hope that you enjoy your visit. For those of your returning home, we want to welcome you home. We thank you for choosing ---- Airlines and hope that you enjoyed your flying experience. The local time in Tokyo is 9:00 PM.**  
  
Kaoru stood up from her seat as soon as the 'fasten seatbelt' sign had been turned off. There weren't a lot of passengers on this particular flight and she was grateful for that. She slept through for most of the flight and the few hours she had been awake, she had been thinking about what Misao had asked just before she left. Misao's words seem to taunt her as she walked out of the plane and headed for the baggage claim area.  
  
//What good would it really do to tell him how you feel?//  
  
She was beginning to have doubts about her reasons for this trip and clamped down on her urge to just hop on the next flight back to San Francisco. No, she told herself. She had gone this far, she might as well see it through. Nodding to herself, she raised her head to read the directions to the baggage claim area. A sea of bodies seemed determined to push her in the opposite direction as she found herself surrounded by the hustling crowd. Kaoru managed to navigate through the horde and ducked into the safety of the ladies' room.  
  
"Ah," Kaoru breathed. "Safe at last." She felt something grazed her arm and instinctively reach out to catch it.  
  
A soft voice murmured as Kaoru felt a body lean onto hers a little too heavily and tried to bow at the same time. "Ano. Gomen nasai," the woman bowed as she stepped away from Kaoru. "I lost my balance. The people outside all seemed like they were in a rush."  
  
Kaoru looked up and saw a figure bowing in apology in front of her. The first thing she noticed about the woman was her pale skin. Her lilac dress, which ended just a little above her knee, accentuated her figure perfectly. Her black hair was tied in a loose ponytail and when she opened her eyes, dark brown eyes reflected an apology. Kaoru stared at the woman for a few seconds before returning the bow and smiling. "Oh, it's okay. I was actually pushed in here myself. I decided to wait until the crowd has somewhat died down to get my luggage."  
  
The woman almost smiled in understanding before taking a peek outside. For a moment, she wore a worried expression on her face as she seemed to be looking for someone in the crowd. Kaoru stood next to her. "Were you waiting for someone?" This time the woman's smile came out before nodding. "Yes. I'm waiting for a friend. His flight was supposed to come in tonight and I wanted to surprise him. Now I don't know if I had already missed him."  
  
Kaoru smiled back. "He must be very special for you to come and meet him." She noticed the blush that rose from the woman's cheeks but refrained from commenting. Instead, Kaoru stood beside her and looked back into the rapidly thinning crowd. The fierce wave of people seemed to have already passed and both women felt that it was safe to come out of their hiding place. Kaoru stepped out first and glanced around the waiting area. The quiet woman followed behind her. Giving a thumbs up sign, Kaoru grinned at her. "I'm Kaoru, by the way. Kaoru Kamiya."  
  
A slight nod came from the other woman and suddenly a voice called out to them. "Tomoe? Is that you?" Both women turned to the direction of the voice. 


End file.
